Sleipnir Fieldstone goes to Polk County 2010 Fun on the Farm Day
UT Extension, Polk County division, hosted a Fun on the Farm Day, for the area First grades and home school students. For the second year in a row, there was a Registered Morgan horse in attendance.
The Denman Family, of Sleipnir Morgan Horse Farm, in Delano, TN brought Sleipnir Fieldstone, a four year old Bay Registered Morgan gelding, to the event in Benton, on Friday, May 14.
Fieldstone got to meet about 200 students from eleven classes of Polk County First graders. Other siblings, parents, and grandparents were also in attendance. Area home school students were also invited. They, and their families, further increased the number of Fieldstone’s visitors. He took it all in stride with his easy-going temperament.
Dr. John Denman, Elizabeth and Michael McGee told the students and their teachers and families about the history and characteristics of horses in general and of the Morgan Breed in particular. Michael held Fieldstone during the demonstrations and let some of the students stroke Fieldstone’s face and feed him handfuls of hay. Fieldstone, with a typical Morgan Horse’s pleasant personality, loved the attention, and the hay.
The Denmans also brought a few culinary herbs and heirloom vegetable plants from their organic greenhouse to discuss with the students; and a variety of sizes and colors of chicken eggs.
Figure, the original Morgan Horse, was born around the time of the Revolutionary War. He could work all day hauling timber and do it better than the bigger draft horses and then win most of the races home from work. He was gentle enough for the farmer’s wife to hook up the wagon to go to market, and he was fancy driving the family to church on Sunday. His descendents include ancestors of the Tennessee Walking Horse, the Saddlebred and the Standardbred. Morgan Horses were the primary horse of the cavalry for settling the West, because they willingly go all day for their humans and are very easy keepers. The Morgan Horse is known for its great personality.
Each First Grade teacher received a packet from the Denman Family with coloring Fun Facts about Morgan Horses, from the American Morgan Horse Association, for each student to learn more about the history of the Morgan Horse. The teachers also received a copy of a Tennessee Farm Directory.
Fieldstone came home to the farm with stories to tell his pasture friends about his first trip off the farm and his big day in Benton with the children.